60 minutes wasn’t enough to separate Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo. Both threw everything they could at each other. Endo even had some minor help from DAMNATION at times and it still wasn’t enough to win. When Takaeshita was about to give Endo the Cross Arm German Suplex at the 35th minute, Daisuke Sasaki distracted the referee so Endo could Low Blow Takeshita to escape the move. Then outside the ring Mad Paulie positioned himself on his hands and knees on the stage so Endo could Moonsault off of him onto Takeshita. Endo then wound the other end when Takeshita Suplexed him onto the ring apron. The match risked ending in a Double Countout until both the champion and challenger crawled back into the ring at the 19 count. Another Double Countout came close after a strike battle briefly knocked out both wrestlers. Endo hit the Shooting Star Press but Takeshita kicked out of it and clung on to Endo’s legs so he couldn’t climb the turnbuckles again. They both wound up on the top rope and Endo hit the Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Takeshita hit a Dragon Suplex, Lariat and busted out the Last Ride but only got a two count. In the final minutes of the match Takeshita went for the Cross Arm German again but Endo pulled out a Kasadora counter for nearfall. As the last few seconds counted down Endo put Takeshita in the Crippler Crossface but the bell rang to end the match. A draw means Takeshita is still the KO-D Openweight Champion but he wasn’t satisfied by the result. He and Endo had one more staredown that ended with Endo lightly slapping his rival then leaving ringside.

An emotionally drained Amon Tsurumi thanked Takeshita for having a great match. Takeshita petted him on the head and said as long as he is still champion he will keep Korakuen Hall full. The pleasant moment was interrupted when Yoshihiro Takayama strolled down to the ring wearing his Right To Challenge gauntlet. He called Takeshita an awesome champion. He’s impressed. But Takayama said that he is a former GHC, IWGP, NWF and Triple Crown Champion. He collects championships and now he is interested in getting the KO-D Openweight Title! When he said he wasn’t cashing in his title shot right now, Makoto Oishi and Nobuhiro Shimatani appeared at the stage entrance. Both were trying to sneak into the ring and cash in their contracts on an unaware Takeshita. Takayama spotted the two and scared them off. Takeshita asked Takayama when he wants his title match. It will happen in Korakuen Hall on 28th May! Takeshita promised Takayama that he won’t lose the KO-D Title until then and he hopes Takeyama will do the same with his RTC contract. If that wasn’t enough, Akito approached Takayama and provoked Takayama. Akito said when he began wrestling he admired Takayama but now he is just boring. He is also sick of seeing Danshoku Dino’s ass everywhere in DDT. Dino stood up for Takayama and argued with Akito. The result of this is New No Fear’s first KO-D Tag Team Title defence will be against ALL OUT on 21st May in Sapporo. Takeshita ended the show by saying although he did not beat Endo, he will settle that problem another day. Until then he will beat Takayama with a German Suplex that is even higher than the Everest German!

The Lip Lock was the gamechanger in the KO-D Tag Team Titles Match. First Dino used the move stopped Yukio Sakaguchi from doing the top rope Right Knee Of God to Takayama. He then gave Sakaguchi a Spider Superplex so he could adjust his posture into the Hell Gate pose. Masakatsu Funaki fought off Dino afterwards but he was still put in the Lip Lock by Takayama. The sight of the move distracted Sakaguchi long enough for Dino to give the Lip Lock to him. Takayama then grabbed Sakaguchi and pinned him with the Everest German. Takayama foreshadowed his Right To Challenge plans when he told Tsurumi after the match that he was too busy to defend the KO-D Tag Titles on the 28th May Korakuen show. Funaki said he won’t be challenging for the titles again until there are new champions. He figured the only way he and Sakaguchi can beat New No Fear is if they also turn gay which according to them is impossible.

Kazusada Higuchi made a big statement by pinning HARASHIMA to win his RTC contract in the special Worldwide Tag Match. With Shigehiro Irie (who entered the ring wearing a Panda mask as some sort of OI4K shoutout) on his side, the combined power was too much for HARASHIMA and Mike Bailey to handle. Higuchi used his strength to block a Reverse Hurricanrana and instead throw HARASHIMA into the turnbuckles. Irie then hit a Running Cannonball to HARASHIMA out of nowhere which gave Higuchi an easy road to hitting the Doctor Bomb. Higuchi explained afterwards that HARASHIMA is only familiar with the RTC contracts when he was the champion. He doesn’t know what it is like to defend the contracts, which is something Higuchi knows a lot. So that’s how Higuchi could beat HARASHIMA today.

Akito wrestled in new wrestling gear which has some oddly placed exposed sections in the hips area. He also added a Modified Omoplata to his arsenal and it is very effective. Soma Takao quickly tapped out to it.

With a little help from Mad Paulie, Heidi Katrina pinned Saki Akai in their first confrontation. Paulie squashed Akai with a Lariat in the corner while Daisuke Sasaki dove out of the ring onto the rest of Akai’s team. Katrina then dropped Akai with an Oklahoma Stampede and pinned her with a Leg Drop. Katrina say she will fight Akai again anytime, anywhere. Sasaki translated her promo and turned it into a more bunch of insults. Sasaki then claimed that Katrina called him kind, brave and masculine.

When NωA and T2Hide faced off there was a lot on the line. NωA were defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and debuting their brand new song “ωe are the HERO”. T2Hide were fighting to prevent Kazuki Hirata from getting kicked out of Japan. Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi sang Hirata’s entrance music but Hirata hated it because it wasn’t good enough to dance to. Everyone from NωA, T2Hide, the referee and even a bunch of other wrestlers all ganged up to stomp on Hirata for being ungrateful. Hirata summoned his music proper but was then pinned by Makoto Oishi. Hirata lost his RTC contract to Oishi and now he has to be deported from Japan! While he was dealing with this, Oishi was attacked by Danshoku Dino and Royce Isaacs. They broke his arm with Isaacs’ Miracle Ass then fled. When that was over with the rest of the roster said their farewells to Hirata and carried him away from ringside. Takagi ignored Hirata’s protests to congratulate him on his new beginnings. He then told the audience to please look forward to the next chapter of “Dr. Kazuki Hirata’s” adventures.

Before the 5 Way Match took place, Dino and Isaacs sent a warning to the rest of the competitors. Isaacs used his Miracle Ass to split a pair of chopsticks. Then when Ryuichi Sekine walked into the room Dino grabbed his arm and Isaacs broke it with his Miracle Ass. In the match itself Isaacs went on a streak of breaking arms that would make Penta el Zero M jealous. The streak was ended when Antonio Honda grabbed Isaacs’ arm, stuck it under his own shoulder strap and used his chest to pop the arm. He then pinned Isaacs with a Small Package to become the No. 1 Contender for the DDT Extreme Title. Nice guy Honda then popped everyone’s arms back into place after the match.

Yuki Ueno scored his first ever singles win in the dark match, pinning Daiki Shimomura with a Dropkick. Amon Tsurumi congratulated him afterwards.

DDT is creating a brand new set of championships. If you thought a 6-man Tag Team championship is overdoing it then strap yourselves in and make room for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Championships! The first champions will be crowned at Sumo Hall on 20th August.

Super Sasadango Machine has recovered from his heart problems and will return to action on 28th May! Sasadango teams with Sanshiro Takagi to face Minoru Suzuki & Rocky Kawamura!

The Street Wrestling match to be held at the Tokyo Dome finally is finally going ahead. On 1st June, Sanshiro Takagi faces Minoru Suzuki and they are free to fight all over the Dome in what is pretty much an Empty Arena match. No fans, no crowds, just the two wrestlers and a cameraman filming the action live for DDT UNIVERSE.

Isami Kodaka will be leaving his job as manager for the Drop Kick Bar in May. Akito is the new manager and he hopes to run a bar that will be full of hospitality for its customers.

Welcome to The Future! DDT celebrated 20 years in business by running the main stage of Saitama Super Arena for “JUDGEMENT 2017”. In the main event the torch was passed as the 21 year old Konosuke Takeshita defeated HARASHIMA to become the KO-D Openweight Champion for the second time in his career. The biggest stage called for a major main event and both wrestlers delivered with a 30 minute long clash. HARASHIMA’s neck was targeted early and his title reign was under threat when Takeshita gave him a Vertical Drop Brainbuster on the arena floor. HARASHIMA was left outside to get counted out but he returned on 18. He then turned the tables by avoiding a Dragon Suplex and attacking Takeshita’s knees. The damaged limb would later prevent Takeshita from hitting the German Suplex because HARASHIMA would grab onto them. A Short Range Lariat kept him down for a two count but that only riled HARASHIMA up and made him provoke Takeshita to attack even harder. Takeshita went high risk by placing HARASHIMA on the top turnbuckle. That backfired when HARASHIMA turned it into an Avalanche Reverse Frankensteiner followed by the Somato! Takeshita kicked out at two so HARASHIMA went for the Swan Dive Somato. Takeshita caught him in mid-air but HARASHIMA twisted around for another Reverse Frankensteiner. This time Takeshita blocked it and gave HARASHIMA a Croyt’s Wrath style German Suplex for a nearfall. HARASHIMA took control again and this time gave Takeshita the Yama-ori head drop. With both men completely spent they traded Elbow Smashes until Takeshita punched the champion and followed up with the Bionic Elbow taken from his mentor Antonio Honda. He hit the German Suplex but HARASHIMA was still able to kick out. Finally Takeshita crossed HARASHIMA’s arms together for one more German Suplex and this time the champion was down for the count.

Takeshita thanked HARASHIMA after the match. Takeshita became a pro wrestler because he loves DDT so to be in the main event for the company’s 20th Anniversary means everything to him. He feels the pressure of being the future of this company but he will show everyone why he deserves that title as DDT moves into its 21st year. When the new champion finished the prize ceremony he was approached by Daisuke Sasaki and Tetsuya Endo. Sasaki said he knew Takeshita would beat HARASHIMA then pretended to cry. In truth, he doesn’t care about Takeshita’s accomplishment. DAMNATION will finish him and to prove it his first challenger will be Tetsuya Endo! Takeshita’s former friend said he does not know what the future really is but he’s not interested. In fact, the future he sees now is an eyesore. Takeshita accepted the challenge and they will get their match at Korakuen Hall on 29th April. The show then ended with a curtain call to DDT’s old theme song “Into The Light”. The final scene in the ring had Takeshita and HARASHIMA fist bump and agree to wrestle each other again some day. HARASHIMA went to leave the ring but Takeshita stopped him so they could leave together.

The weapons in the DDT Extreme Title match were provided by a company called Seki-chu and boy did Jun Kasai and Daisuke Sasaki use a lot of them. Tables, ladders, chairs, trash cans, rakes and even a wire mesh fence were used throughout the match. Sasaki came out on top but he had to put his body on the line to do so. Kasai was still alive and kicking after an Avalanche Power Bomb from the ladder through the fence. Even the NOW OR NEVER couldn’t put Kasai away. So Sasaki had to put Kasai on a table and climb up the ladder. With his last words being “I am Charisma!” Sasaki jumped off the ladder and hit a Diving Elbow Drop on Kasai. The table didn’t break but Kasai did and Sasaki became the new Extreme Champion! He threw the belt away, claiming he does not need it. He has words to say to Kasai, many of them that cannot be broadcast on TV but he cannot deny Kasai was at his craziest today. Still, Sasaki won’t conform. He won’t kiss ass. And he definitely won’t get married. “We are DAMNATION! And I am the Charisma, Daisuke Sasaki!”

Saitama Super Arena was taken back to the Romance Of The Three Kingdoms for a special 6-Man Tag promoting the Nobunaga’s Ambition video game. The series produce Kou Shibusawa greeted the audience before the match, telling everyone to enjoy video games and pro wrestling. All the wrestlers took part in their character costumes. Sanshiro Takagi wasted no time in building a castle of chairs in the ring. It was no surprise to anyone that he was thrown into the castle later. Isami Kodaka took out Daisuke Sekimoto with a Topé Suicida. Keiji Muto and Jun Akiyama faced off and had a stalemate when Akiyama hit the Exploder Suplex then Muto immediately fired back with the Shining Wizard. That left Kota Ibushi to give Takagi the Sit Down Last Ride followed by the Phoenix Splash to win the match.

When the segment was over Takagi stayed in the ring for an important announcement. He is happy to see so many people come out to see DDT’s 20th Anniversary. There is nothing left for him to do so he will retire immediately. Even though he is going away he is confident that DDT will grow bigger and bigger without him. He has no regrets even though he had announced a major goal at the 15th Anniversary show in Budokan Hall that never came to pass. He demanded the staff at ringside to give him the 10 bell salute and thanked everyone he could during each ringing of the bell. On the 8th toll he suddenly received a phone call. It turns out there is something left for him to do after all. Suddenly a picture of the Tokyo Dome appeared on the screen. Takagi announced that DDT will hold a Street Wrestling Match inside the Tokyo Dome later this year! Takagi immediately cancelled his plans to retire. There are still dreams and ambitions for DDT to come true!

Masakatsu Funaki & Yukio Sakaguchi overcame an ambush by DAMNATION to keep the KO-D Tag Team Titles over their shoulders. Even though Sakaguchi’s goal for the match was to kill Endo, he instead settled with pinning Shuji Ishikawa to win the match. Not an easy feat at all! Ishikawa blocked the Right Knee Of God the first time so Sakaguchi had to climb the turnbuckles and hit an elevated version of his finisher to put the big dog down. Their victory ceremony was interrupted when Danshoku Dino snuck into the ring and gave the match sponsor a Lip Lock. Dino told Funaki he’s made a lot of enemies over his career but he has never fought a hybrid body like Dino’s, nor has he fought a real Dramatic Dream Team like Danshoku Dino & Yoshihiro Takayama! Dino is here to lay out the challenge. Real No Fear wants the KO-D Tag Team Titles! Funaki realised the match is unavoidable. He and Sakaguchi will fight Real No Fear. But until then the champions will drink.

There is a lot to go through for the next match. A lot! At some point in the show Joey Ryan won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. I’ll get into more detail with that later. For now just know that Ryan now had to defend the championship against Danshoku Dino in an Anal Explosion Death Match. But first, Donald Trump appeared for a complete English PowerPoint presentation. Trump revealed that the most powerful person in DDT is not the president Sanshiro Takagi or the KO-D Champion HARASHIMA. It is really the referee Yukinori Matsui! If there is one thing that Matsui hates more than anything else in wrestling it is explicit sexual humour. Do too much of it in front of Matsui and you will get fired. However Dino is the “World’s Strongest Gay Wrestler” and Ryan is the “World’s Strongest Penis Fighter”. Matsui will watch the match backstage so they need to find a way to wrestle explicitly in a way that won’t offend him. Somehow, some way, an Anal Explosion Death Match is acceptable because in this situation “ANAL” stands for “All Nations Anal Love”. If that wasn’t enough, Ryan revealed that Dino’s friend and former Iron Man Champion Ryota Yamazato has been kidnapped by foreign agents. In 20 minute’s time Yamazato’s rear end will be used for the Anal Explosion unless Dino can win the match before then.

The time began to count down and the match was ready to begin. But first the National Anthems of America and Japan had to be played. Additional commentary was provided by Trump and Guanchulo in English, Hoshitango in Spanish and Rekka in Chinese. As the match went on Matsui kept a close eye on the action from backstage. Dino and Ryan fought up the ramp towards the commentary stations. Ryan’s penis flung Dino off the ramp and crashing through the Spanish announce table. Dino was later thrown off the top turnbuckle and he crashed through the Chinese table. The commentators were so mad that they attacked Ryan but he fought them off with his penis. When Dino recovered he gathered the commentators in the ring and placed them on the corner turnbuckles with their backsides exposed. He then overpowered Dino’s penis, getting revenge for the spot that caused all this in the first place. By the time he put the Lip Lock on Ryan, Matsui had seen enough and made his way to the ring. Trump realised the match was in danger of being cancelled so he sprinted backstage. Some of the DNA wrestlers distracted Matsui by treating him like a celebrity, shaking his hand and asking for autographs. Then a mascot blocked his path but Matsui knocked it down with one punch. He then shook its hand. Matsui walked past the women’s locker room and the temptation to peak inside was too much. When it turned out that Cherry was the only person in there Matsui was grossed out and moved on. Finally Trump caught up with Matsui and confronted him. They chopped each other back and forth until they both leaned in closer and closer. Then they kissed. Back in the ring Dino pulled Ryan’s lollipop out of one of the commentator’s backside and he then put it in Ryan’s mouth. That stunned Ryan long enough for Dino to do the Danshoku Driver for the victory. The two congratulated each other after the match and Ryan handed both the Iron Man Title and the bomb button over to Dino. Dino threw the button away and left his buddy Yamazato to get his ass exploded with three firecrackers outside the building. The screen went blank and we’re left with the message “There can be no peace on earth without pro wrestling” along with a picture of Sanshiro Takagi naked. Backstage Dino and Ryan started to act like friends but quickly started fighting again over the Iron Man Title.

Shungo Oyama did well in his debut but ultimately fell to Yoshihiro Takayama. The two locked up and threw punches in a scene that resembled Takayama’s famous fight with Don Frye. The slugfest ended with Takayama pinning Oyama with the Everest German Suplex. Dick Togo respected Oyama’s effort and noticed Oyama respects pro wrestling enough to fear it. KUDO hopes to team with Oyama again if Oyama decides to continue wrestling. Oyama said he felt at home fighting in Saitama Super Arena again.

Miyu Yamashita has caught Meiko Satomura’s attention but she’ll probably wish she hadn’t. Satomura pinned Yamashita to win the women’s match for her team but their interaction did not end there. Yamashita stood up to her from the apron after the match and Satomura’s reaction was to kick her away. In the post-match interview Satomura said she see will never forget what she saw in Yamashita’s eyes today. She’s motivated, that’s for sure. She would like to fight her one on one. Satomura’s partners however she is more friendly with. She felt a sense of unity with Saki Akai and Syoko Nakajima throughout the match. Akai admitted feeling a little of jealous of Yamashita for firing up Satomura. Aja Kong thought Nakajima was okay but small. Cherry was happy to wrestle in front of many fans and she appreciates the women coming together for this show when she previously spent years as the only female wrestler in DDT.

In the match between Shigehiro Irie and Mike Bailey, the Tazzmission proved to be the difference maker. Irie caught Bailey with the submission hold in mid-air and turned it into a Camel Clutch variat to make Speedball tap out. Irie still isn’t finished with his warrior training but at least he got to show everyone in Japan that his trips to America are not going to waste. Irie credited Ohio’s Rockstar Pro Wrestling in particular for his recent improvement. Bailey says Irie is now on the same level as HARASHIMA and Takeshita.

In the 8-Man Tag Match, Yuni found an opportunity to wear the Hirata GO! glasses and start dancing. Kazuki Hirata ruined the moment by knocking Yuni out with a chop to the back of the neck. Hirata put the glasses on and cleared the ring with his dance fighting. But he was then stopped with a Triple Dropkick from Jaguar Yokota, Keisuke Ishii & Masahiro Takanashi. Yuni then pinned Hirata with a Hurricanrana.

The 3 Way Trios match for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles was a crazy sprint but NωA came out of it with the belts. Yasu Urano countered Kazusada Higuchu’s Power Bomb into a Frankensteiner but Urano was then knocked down by MAO’s Screw Kick. Urano avoided the Firebird Splash from Shunma Katsumata but didn’t see MAO coming with the Cannonball 450. That move won NωA the championship and all three were in tears when they were handed the belts.

Many wrestlers from DDT’s past, some unexpected, came back for the Dramatic Rumble with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and King Of Dark Title both on the line. MIKAMI was out first with his ladder. Daichi Kakimoto was a surprise entrant wearing the mask he used in his Union Pro run. Poison Sawada JULIE eliminated loads of people with his snake magic. Unfortunately his endurance is not what it used to be and he fainted from overuse. Gorgeous Matsuno eliminated JULIE by accident when DJ Nira (who was not an official participant) pushed Matsuno on top of JULIE with his umbrella. Mad Paulie eliminated Gota Ihashi which means Ihashi is still the King Of Dark Champion. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi stood on top of Kotatsu and leapt off it to deliver a super Michinoku Driver II to Yoshihiko. Kotatsu eliminated a few wrestlers with its comfy quilt until Guanchulo decided to wear Kotatsu over him like a backpack. Munenori Sawa was the last surprise entrant. He hit Guanchulo with a Rabbit Punch and Guanchulo fell on top of Kotatsu. That counted as a pin so Guanchulo won the Iron Man Title. Ken Ohka was the final entrant but he and Sawa spent so long singing to his entrance music that Guanchulo eliminated them both to win the Rumble. His celebration was short lived when Yoshihiko dove on top of him from the stage to win the belt. Later on in the show Kotatsu won the title by pinning Yoshihiko backstage. Joey Ryan congratulated Kotatsu then used his penis strength to flip it over and claim the title for himself.

Mil Clown was accidentally unmasked during the Tokyo Joshi Pro dark match. Her mask flew off when Azusa Takaigawa gave her the X Factor. As much as she tried to hide her face, Clown eventually gave up and focused on beating Takigawa with the Magical Merry Go Round followed by the Mil Clutch α. Clown fled the ring as soon as she got her mask back on.

Naomi Yoshimura continues his aggressive streak by winning the DNA dark match for his team.

Kota Umeda was invited to the ring during the opening announcements. He was at the show as Yoshihiko’s handler but informed everyone that his recovery is going well and he will return to the ring this year. The other injured DNA wrestler Suguru Miyatake was supposed to be at the show but had to miss it because of the flu.

I was also a guest on the Japanese Audio Wrestling podcast last week to preview the show. The episode can be heard here.

Twenty years. Who would have thought DDT would last twenty years? Sanshiro Takagi’s brainchild was created in 1997 when he, MIKAMI and NOSAWA Rongai quit a promotion called Pro Wrestling Crusaders to form their own wrestling league. From there Dramatic Dream Team was born and it created a bizarre path for itself as time went by. From parodying WWE to experimenting with the elements of pro wrestling that have existed for so long that they were taken for granted, DDT became home to some of the most bizarre gimmicks and ideas in the business. But it had something else going for it. Among the island of misfit toys were some gems that have since gone on to be major players on the scene. The parodies and knock offs eventually transformed into more creative endeavours that can now stand on their own. The buildings being booked became bigger. The roster developed into something that the next generation of wrestlers now choose to be there rather than use it as a backup plan.

And it all leads to here. “JUDGEMENT 2017” the 20th Anniversary celebration for DDT is taking place in Saitama Super Arena. This is a plan years in the making. Originally DDT wanted to run the building in 2011 but there was no room on the Arena’s schedule to make it happen. In 2015 DDT booked the Community Hub section of the building for “SAITAMA SUPER DDT 2015”. Finally this year is the year they are running the full building. If that isn’t aiming high, remember that back at the 15th Anniversary show, Takagi announced his intentions to run the Tokyo Dome for the 20th Anniversary! Sadly that never came to pass but hey, Saitama Super Arena isn’t anything to sneeze at.

So let’s get to the card itself. DDT is following the format that a lot of others now use for their biggest show of the year. Cram as much as they can and give everyone a spot somewhere. This is going to be a long show, ladies and gentlemen. The Future attempts to replace the present, an angry warrior looks set to take on DAMNATION, furniture will fly in a charismatic death match, a 3 Way determines who deserves the trios championship, a viral video clip results in a World Wrestling War, two top singles wrestlers battle it out to move up the ranks, an MMA fighter shifts over to pro wrestling, a joshi legend teams up with a child, there’s a match filled with superstar samurai and much more is on the cards. So let’s dig in.

We start off with a staple match on these major shows, a Royal Rumble for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. However this time there is an added caveat in the mix. The King Of Dark Title is also on the line, hence why this match is on the pre-show. The current Iron Man Champion is Kotatsu, a literal table. Kotatsu has been unstoppable since becoming the champion. Its defensive capabilities is beyond anything seen from previous champions. As you’d expect from a Japanese table it is tough to break. But it has a soft side too. It has a quilt attached around itself that is so comfortable, anyone who sits next to it falls asleep. The current King Of Dark Champion is Gota Ihashi who recently reclaimed the title for the 6th time. The rest of the field is filled with many names from DDT’s past. MIKAMI had been with DDT for most of its existence and was the Jr. Heavyweight star in the group for many years. Poison Sawada JULIE had many forms but is best remembered as the dark snake magician. GENTARO was a dominant tag wrestler, teaming with Takashi Sasaki as the Akarangers. Tomohiko Hashimoto was one of Koichiro Kimura’s disciples and was part of a unit called B52 Special. Rion Mizuki was an ikemen wrestler who briefly has a Saint Seiya gimmick. Bambi wrestled in DDT under a mask as “Showa”. And then there is the usual lot involved too. It is possible that one of the titles will not change hands depending on the result of the match. It’s a complicated situation that the referees are trying to figure out.

Earlier this year DDT New Attitude reinvented itself into Fighting Gig DNA. It is still a development brand for DDT’s less experienced wrestlers but the plan is for the group to grow and become its own brand of wrestling. Naomi Yoshimura has quickly become a standout to me. He has the fewest matches out of the six wrestlers but the biggest ego and a powerful body to match. His generation counterpart Yuki Ueno is almost the opposite. Ueno takes a beating every match but he takes it in his stride. Daiki Shimomura and Nobuhiro Shimatani are friends/rivals who recently formed a team together called Gran Millimeters. Dai Suzuki just began a 7 match series where he must win or tie one match or else he must retire. He’s 0-1 so far. Rekka is the most experienced of the bunch by far, joining DNA from New Taiwan Wrestling. Everybody involved in this match are hungry and unsatisfied at just being in the pre-show. They are determined to have an exciting match because of this.

The last of the pre-show matches involved Tokyo Joshi Pro. DDT’s spin-off women’s brand has been around for four years now and has a colourful cast of idol wrestlers. Yuu is the current queen of the ring, holding the TOKYO Princess Of Princess Title. Her judo talent quickly pushed her heads and shoulders ahead of the rest of the roster. Mil Clown is a trickster from the Magical Country. She came to Tokyo Joshi to take the place of twin sister Yuka Sakazaki when she took a break to find herself. Itoh Maki is a former singer from LinQ and is convinced she is the cutest wrestler ever. Reika Saiki is the powerful Muscle Idol and a member of the Cheer♡1 cheerleader squad. Rika Tatsumi is becoming known for her Dragon Sleeper. It is no coincidence that her ring name was inspired by Tatsumi Fujinami. Finally Azusa Takigawa is the wrestler who is determined to get married. Her use of Zexy Magazine as a weapon in matches got some attention online this year including a request from the magazine’s publisher to stop doing it.

Tokyo Joshi’s influence continues into the main show. The two most established wrestlers from the brand are being put in with DDT’s two mainstay women as well as two joshi legends. Miyu Yamashita has been with Tokyo Joshi since its very first show back in January 2013 with Syoko Nakajima coming in a few months later. Yamashita was the first ever Princess Champion while Nakajima is a Tokyo Princess Cup winner and has been in the final for all three tournaments. Saki Akai and Cherry have a not so friendly relationship in DDT. Cherry was the token women’s wrestler for the DDT family until Akai the celebrity came in. Cherry has been jealous of her success and popularity ever since. Then there is the famed rivalry between Meiko Satomura and Aja Kong. I got to see their Sendai Girls match live last April and it was amazing to watch. Maybe Yamashita and Nakajima can impress the right people in this match and get an opportunity to spread their wings.

It’s surprising to see a match of this magnitude apparantly take place so early on the show but this is going to be a highlight for sure. To celebrate game director Kou Shibusawa’s 35th year in the business, DDT is teaming up with Koei Tecmo to put on a star studded match promoting the Nobunaga’s Ambition phone game. If you don’t know about that series then maybe you are more familiar with Dynasty Warriors or Romance Of The Three Kingdoms. Chances are if the Yellow Turban Rebellion is mentioned somewhere then this match relates to it. To get the most out of this match I suggest you grab a Playstation controller and mash Square over and over. It’s how I played through Dynasty Warriors 8.

To the teams themselves. On one side you have the Big President Sanshiro Takagi, the BASARA samurai Isami Kodaka and the Pro Wrestling Master Keiji Muto. On the other side there is the hard bodied Daisuke Sekimoto, the wise man Jun Akiyama and the nutjob who thinks showering in fireworks during a trip to London is a good idea Kota Ibushi. So far so good but to make things more interesting each wrestler is playing a different character from the historical video game series. There are also actresses involved, Mai Iriya is playing Sekimoto’s character’s wife and Kimika Tokuta is playing Muto’s character’s daughter. Ibushi turned down WWE for this and I couldn’t be happier. Twitter videos also show he has a blunderbuss as part of his costume because you know, giving Ibushi a gun is such a good idea.

Another mish-mash multi-person tag match. The focus here is on two people with around a 45 year a age difference between them. Jaguar Yokota wrestled for DDT once before back in June 2003. Teaming with her is the 3rd grade elementary student Yuni. The kid convinced DDT to train him as a wrestler and he’s had a few matches since his debut last December. During his time away from the ring he’s been bouncing on his bed trying to learn stylish moves like the Sky Twister Press. Yokota and Yuni have met and trained together in the build up to this match. They get along and Yokota warns she won’t forgive anyone who tries to bully Yuni in the ring. Joining their team are Keisuke Ishii and Masahiro Takanashi. Ishii has had a banner year since winning the AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Title. Takanashi is firmly suited in his role for Shuten-dōji and can catch anyone with his pinning manoeuvres. Their opponents are Toru Owashi and the three people who annoy him. Kazuki Hirata wants nothing more than to dance on the biggest stage (sadly his music will be blocked on DDT UNIVERSE). Both Antonio Honda and Lady Beard are warming up their vocals and will probably be more interested in telling stories and singing karaoke rather than wrestling.

Former MMA fighter Shungo Oyama has fought many big names in PRIDE, K-1 and HERO’S. He’s fought Wanderlai Silva, Peter Aerts, Renzo Gracie (and a few others from that family), Dan Henderson, Cro Cop and Carlos Newton. He even once fought Sean O’Haire in a kickboxing bout! When his MMA career ended DDT sent him an invite to try out pro wrestling. It’s an idea he considered but put off for years because he was coming off of injuries and did not want to disrespect pro wrestling with a lacklustre performance. But he came round on the idea and figured it is better to do it now then never at all. He sent a strong message to Yoshihiro Takayama in February when they met in a DDT ring. Takayama tried attacked Oyama but was quickly put in a Sleeper Hold and choked unconscious. KUDO is encouraged by Oyama’s appearance. His advice to him is if he can see success then he can win. Takayama isn’t going to take it lying down though. He warns that all Oyama did was wake up the fighter inside him and he’s now hungry for blood! Takayama’s tag partner Dick Togo wants to remind everyone that even though Oyama is strong he is still a pro wrestling rookie. Togo is eager to teach him a lesson!

This is an interesting match up. Shigehiro Irie and “Speedball” Mike Bailey have both been recovering from set-backs after losing title matches to HARASHIMA. They are both on the cusp of hitting the main event level again but are taking different paths to reach it. Irie has been relying on excursions to the United States of America. The first trip saw him return to Japan much stronger and more confident than ever before. He was already planning a return to America when he fought HARASHIMA on Christmas Day but he wanted to bring the KO-D Openweight Title with him. That did not happen. Still, Irie loves spending time in America and did not take his latest trip for granted.

Bailey’s climb to the top is coming from his time teaming with Happy Motels and wrestling in DNA. He won the DNA Grand Prix on his own in October and then won the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Konosuke Takeshita in December. But Irie isn’t impressed. He’s given him the thumbs down after their matches together. Expect the winner of this match to start banging on the door for a title shot in the future.

Where do I even begin with this? DDT put together the most DDT match they could think of to promote DDT UNIVERSE to a global audience. On November 2015, Danshoku Dino and Joey Ryan faced off in a 6-Man Tag. Their interactions went viral and the aftermath has been following them ever since. When Dino was given 500,000 yen to find his dream opponent for Saitama Super Arena he went for the obvious choice. Triple H! Unfortunately he’s too busy trying to drain the European wrestling scene of its talent for NXT so Dino went for the next obvious choice. Joey Ryan! And to make the match even more appealing to a global audience, Super Sasadango Machine is creating a special PowerPoint presentation in Japanese, English, Spanish and Chinese for the match.

Everything surrounding the match was well and good until a few days ago when a certain powerful figure in the world of politics got involved. “Donald Trump” stepped in and declared the match a World Wrestling War between Japan and America. This is a serious situation that calls for a dangerous stipulation. Using the SWOT Analysis on Dino, Trump determined that Dino Vs Ryan should be an Anal Explosion Death Match! If such a match goes ahead then any scenes of graphic content will be censored on DDT UNIVERSE with this NSFW image.

Oh and Pro Wrestling Tees is sponsoring the match. Buy DDT shirts here. You picked a hell of a match to sponsor, lads.

Things will calm down for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Three units clash and each side has its own story to tell. Team DNA are the champions going into the match. Kazusada Higuchi is the top man in DNA and has progressed far enough to fight for the KO-D Title a few times already. Kouki Iwasaki is a solid wrestler who is currently picking fights with Kazushi Sakuraba in DNA. Mizuki Watase has gotten his wrestling career back on track after a whirlwind romance with TV celebrity and former champion LiLiCo last year.

Smile Squash are the stronger of the two challenging teams. With Soma Takao recently joining the unit they’ve been on a strong run in tag matches. Akito is happy to team with him but Yasu Urano is pretty suspect of the situation. Takao himself admits he joined Smile Squash to wrestle with HARASHIMA and learn what it will take to beat him someday. Urano wonders why should a guy like that get to join the unit? Regardless, this team contains three skillful wrestlers with momentum on their side.

Last but not least is NωA. Their success in the ring is difficult to find but out of all the teams in the match they are the most tightly knit unit. They sing together, dance together and wrestle together. They released two CDs which nobody else on the show can boast.

Now we’re getting into the big matches. The last three bouts are going to carry the heavy end of the show so I have high hopes for them. The Hardcore Match is being sponsored by Sekichu and the weapons laid out around the ring will all be provided by them. Daisuke Sasaki is mostly over his infatuation with Candice LeRae but the idea that a championship can impress her may still be in his head. But if he has moved on from her he is now focused on getting rid of Jun Kasai. He stole Kasai’s goggles a month ago but Kasai got back at him by stealing his leather jacket. The items were given back to each other but the fighting continued. Sasaki is confident he will win. So much so he is already thinking of using his match winnings to buy a 65 inch TV to replace his 50 inch one. Is Sasaki charismatic enough to overcome Kasai’s violent streak?

DAMNATION’s presence continues on to the KO-D Tag Team Titles Match. Nobody has gotten Yukio Sakaguchi more riled up than Tetsuya Endo lately. Endo beating Sakaguchi in a singles match last month only made the bad blood between the two worse. Now Endo has his eyes the tag titles and he’s brining along Shuji Ishikawa to help. He’s also winding up Masakatsu Funaki by calling his Hybrid Wrestling style a thing of the past. Sakaguchi threatens that he will fill Saitama Super Arena with Endo’s blood!

The backbone of DDT defends his place on top against the future of the company. HARASHIMA is the most successful KO-D Openweight Champion in DDT history with 9 title reigns and around 28 successful title defences over the course of 10 years. Konosuke Takeshita left his mark on history by becoming the youngest ever KO-D Champion, winning the title on his 21st birthday. Takeshita wants nothing more than for HARASHIMA to be at his absolute best when they wrestle. He wants to beat HARASHIMA at his best so he can rewrite the history books and cement his place as the strongest wrestler to ever step foot in DDT. HARASHIMA assures him that he is constantly getting better every time he steps in the ring. He hears Takeshita’s claims that he is the future of DDT but HARASHIMA doesn’t think the generation shift will happen under his watch. HARASHIMA is thrilled to see DDT on the big stage like this after 20 years. He thinks beating Takeshita in the main event is a good way to kickstart the 21st year. The future of DDT is at stake. Is it time for The Future to take over?

Looks like Masakatsu Funaki will be sticking around for a while because he is now a KO-D Tag Team Champion! Funaki drilled Mike Bailey’s head into the canvas with the Hybrid Blaster to cause the title change. Yukio Sakaguchi’s victory speech was cut off when HARASHIMA & Akito entered the ring. Akito reminded Sakaguchi that he beat him by submission yesterday. He asked how humiliating must it have been? Sakaguchi tried to brush his comments off but Akito then said that there’s no way the pain he caused to Sakaguchi’s legs have already gone away. Sakaguchi said that liquor is his medicine. He then wanted to know if Akito was here to challenge him. Well there’s no need as Sakaguchi nominated him and HARASHIMA as the No. 1 Contenders anyway. When Smile Squash were sent away, Funaki told a story about meeting Sakaguchi’s father Seiji Sakaguchi at a New Japan training camp when he was around 16 years old. He did not think he would be winning championships with Seiji’s son 32 years later.

HARASHIMA got a measure of revenge on Daisuke Sasaki for yesterday’s sneak attack. After he hit Sasaki with the Somato, HARASHIMA then applied a Sleeper Hold and choked out Sasaki to win. When Sasaki was revived backstage he asked if Candice LeRae saw what happened. Apparently she did. Sasaki then swore he will kill HARASHIMA!

At the start of the show Makoto Oishi had to be encouraged by Amon Tsurumi to have his match with Yoshihiro Takayama. Oishi was intimidated by the massive size difference and the result was never in doubt. Oishi was fighting back the tears as he thanked Takayama for the match backstage afterwards. Takayama tried to cheer him up by saying he showed No Fear.

Yasu Urano will get his AJPW Jr. Title match against Keisuke Ishii on 29th January. He was in such a good mood over this and his win today that he was full of praise for Ishii in his post-match promo. Urano said he would not mind if he had to wait for the title shot but the All Japan office gave their blessing for it to happen on the 29th. Urano promises a fair fight but Ishii doesn’t believe him.

Antonio Honda doesn’t feel bad about his age when he teams with Yuni. Honda’s 39 years old and Yuni is only 8. That makes their average age 23. Honda is now thinking up a team name for themselves.

There was a little bit of tension between Kazuki Hirara and Candice LeRae. Candice complained about Hirata’s dance entrance. However she was happy to dance herself once she put on the Hirata GO! glasses. During the dance Kazusada Higuchi Headbutted Hirata in time with the music. Candice then pinned Hirata with the Balls Plex.

One more skirmish before the big BASARA show. This time Isami Kodaka is bringing in the big guns. However Kengo Mashimo doesn’t always get along with him. So the main event may look one sided on paper but when the match takes place one wrong move can thrash Kodaka’s plans to pieces.

Earlier this year Ryo Kawamura did what every fighter does at least once in their lives: reenact scenes from the Rocky movies. But even Rocky Balboa couldn’t be able to get a good match out of Chikara.

Mike Bailey has built a lot of momentum in the last few months, winning the week long DNA Grand Prix tournament and now holding the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Konosuke Takeshita. His success has been rewarded even more with a KO-D Openweight Title shot at DDT’s first Korakuen Hall show in 2017.

One of the big rivalries in Tokyo Joshi Pro’s history will come back for a special match. Miyu Yamashita has never been able to beat Saki Akai one on one. Akai has shown no interest in having any future plans with Tokyo Joshi so this may be Yamashita’s last chance for now to get that win.

Hyper Misao has enlisted Rika Tatsumi and Minami Momochi to help her latest attempt to protect Tokyo Joshi from evil. It wasn’t long ago when Akane Miura was practising snake magic although she has shown no evil behaviour since returning to normal. Maho Kurone however is pretty much a zombie now. She’s always been acting weird since her debut match but yeah, carrying a severed arm to the ring while her mouth is covered in blood isn’t exactly being subtle. Momochi will be finishing up her role as Tokyo Joshi’s ring announcer at this show so what a way to go, getting involved in this creepy situation.

HARASHIMA is now a 9-time KO-D Openweight Champion! If he was feeling intimidated by the challenge to topple Shuji Ishikawa off his throne, he didn’t show it. Instead he made every kick and Knee Strike count, wearing down the champion. Ishikawa did hit the Splash Mountain but HARASHIMA kicked out of that. Eventually the kicks were all too much for Ishikawa to bear and HARASHIMA ended the match with the Swan Dive Somato. HARASHIMA credited the crowd’s support for helping him win back the title. He enjoyed fighting Shuji with all of his effort and wants to do it again and again. GM Amon Tsurumi asked if HARASHIMA wanted a particular wrestler to face him in a title match at Korakuen Hall on Christmas Day. HARASHIMA thought about it and nominated Shigehiro Irie because he was pinned by Irie in a tag match back last month. Irie says he will return to America in 2017. His first trip was done to make him stronger. Now his goal is to win the KO-D Title and bring it with him to the USA!

DAMANTION had a bad night overall. Not only did Ishikawa lose the KO-D Title but Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo lost the KO-D Tag Team Titles too. Not only that but they lost it to their bitter rivals Happy Motels. Sasaki again did his Low Blow to Sasaki Hurricanrana combo that’s been so effective this year but this time Konosuke Takeshita kicked out. Meanwhile Mike Bailey was focused on getting revenge against the champions which ended with him intercepting Endo’s Springboard Dropkick with a Springboard Dropkick of his own. He then flattened Endo outside the ring with a Shooting Star Press. With a clear target on Sasaki, Takeshita threw him over with the Geman Suplex and got the three count to win the tag titles. This is Takeshita’s third time holding the tag title while Bailey gets his first championship in DDT.

The DDT Extreme Title was put on the line in a straight up Hardcore Match. Danshoku Dino had to be violent against Jun Kasai and did so by putting him through a table with the Danshoku Driver. Kasai fought back by grabbing a bundle of bamboo skewers and shoving them in Dino where there sun doesn’t shine. That plan came back to haunt Kasai when Dino grabbed the skewers and shoved them into Kasai’s mouth. He then dug them into the top of Kasai’s head and gave him another Danshoku Driver but Kasai kicked out! Kasai dug the skewers into Dino’s head and hit the Reverse Tiger Driver but Dino kicked out of that too! Finally Kasai pulled his tights down and gave Dino a Danshoku version of the Reverse Tiger Driver. This time it did the job and Kasai became the new Extreme Champion! Kasai said before the match Dino told him how handsome he was and his love for him was true. Kasai’s response is he’s not gay but thanks for the match. Dino gave him the middle finger, said he loves him and returned to the locker room. Kasai said now he is the champion he will dye the belt with colour. As he left the ring he went over to the commentary table and gave Yoshihiro Takayama a deep kiss, making him faint into his chair.

To commemorate DDT’s upcoming 20th Anniversary a special TLC Match took place between Sanshiro Takagi, Kota Ibushi & Gota Ihashi against Dick Togo, Antonio Honda & former DDT turned FREEDOMS wrestler Takashi Sasaki. The “T” in this match stood for Takoyaki which was being cooked by Nobuhiro Shimatani at ringside. Togo immediately slumped into the corner when the match began. He apologised but his heart wasn’t in it. He could only gain the spirit to wrestle if Honda told the tale of “Gon, The Little Fox”. This was all just a ruse for Togo’s team to attack when their opponents dropped their guard. Togo grabbed Takagi’s bicycle and spun the rear tyre against Ihashi’s head. Ibushi intercepted the bicycle but Togo cut him off by spraying him with a fire extinguisher. Togo and Ihashi both climbed a ladder and Togo knocked him off it by feeding him piping hot Takoyaki. He then put Ihashi in the Crippler Crossface while Honda fed Ihashi more Takoyaki. Special guest Hyota Echizenya made an appearance wearing a Kotatsu table over his back. Takagi put the Kotatsu over himself and tried to splash Sasaki through another table but missed. Outside the ring another table was set up to act as a ramp for Ibushi to cycle jump into Togo. However Togo moved and Ibushi crashed into Ihashi instead. Back in the ring Takagi used the Kotatsu as a shield to block chairshots. He then lied down and ordered Ibushi to give Honda the Last Ride onto the Kotatsu above him. After the match Togo shook Takagi’s hand but then gave him the Pedigree, all while Takagi was still wearing the Kotatsu table.

Yukio Sakaguchi rebounded from his TKO defeat to Yoshihiro Takayama last month with a victory here. With Masakatsu Funaki holding back Takayama, Sakaguchi was able to pin Kazusada Higuchi with the Right Knee Of God. Funaki said backstage that he has teamed with various wrestlers but did not get along with many of them. He gets along with Sakaguchi though and both of them are interested in winning championships.

The 3rd grade student Yuni made his debut, probably being the youngest person to ever wrestle in Osaka Edion Arena. The 8 year old’s big spots in the match were a Moonsault and also an elevated Dropkick using Irie and Yasu Urano as steps to get the height necessary to hit the target. Urano thought Yuni’s performance was amazing and gave him a score of 100 points. Yuni’s goal is to win the KO-D Title before he turns 10 years old.

Ever since the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title came back to DDT the champion has had sleepless nights. Whoever holds the belt becomes so paranoid that they lose sleep. Toru Owashi entered the building as the champion but he was so tired from fighting off ambushes that he needed rest. He ate a Pork Bun he found on a bed backstage but then fell asleep with the Pork Bun on top of him. 1…2…3! The Pork Bun was now champion. It was brought down to the ring for the Battle Royal and somehow outwrestled Kazuki Hirata. Everything was going great until Mad Paulie entered and ate the Pork Bun to win the title. He knocked Dai Suzuki around the ring until everyone piled on top them. Paulie was pinned and Suzuki was declared the champion. When Owashi woke up and entered the hall he stopped Suzuki from fleeing and trapped him in the Paradise Lock on the entrance ramp where Suzuki stayed for the rest of the match. It took the combined powers of Kuishinbo Kamen and Kikutaro to send Owashi back to sleep. The match came down to them and although Kamen won the title, Kikutaro crotched him on the ropes after the match and used the 24/7 rule to escape with the belt. However at the end of the show Kikutaro found the Kotatsu used in the TLC match and used it to take a nap. 1…2…3! The Kotatsu became the champion. Hyota Echizenya walked in and tried to pick up the table. 1…2…3! Echizenya is now the champion!

Aja Kong & LiLiCo were too strong for the Kawaii Connection to handle. They cut off Saki Akai from Lady Beard and Kong dominated her up until the finish. LiLiCo even did her own version of the Spinning Backfist. In the post-match interview Kong reiterated that DDT was wrong to use LiLiCo like a toy by parading her around for some dating nonsense. Maybe as punishment they should go after the KO-D Tag Team Titles!

The show kicked off proper with the debut of Naomi Yoshimura, the latest rookie to wrestle for DNA. He got to show off his power by repeatedly Body Slamming Yuki Ueno then hitting a big Power Slam. His finishing move was a release Power Bomb. KUDO notes that it is a new era for DDT and it’s his job now not to lose to the new blood. Yoshimura says he wants to fight Higuchi because he is the strongest in DNA however he also wants to be on his side until he is ready to fight him. Also Yoshimura looks up to Zeus and Yuji Hino as wrestlers of inspiration.

Nobuhiro Shimatani continues his downward spiral to the bottom of DDT when he was defeated in the dark match. The current King Of Dark Champion hit a couple of Standing Shooting Stars in a row to Kouki Iwasaki but eventually fell to the usual rookie killer move, the Crab Hold.

Super Sasadango Machine hopes to return to the ring in time for DDT’s 20th Anniversary show in Saitama Super Arena on 20th March. He received a message of support from Yoshihiro Takayama on Facebook which has given him encouragement.

More information for DDT Universe has become known. The video on demand service launches on 23rd January, 2017 and the first live broadcast will be “SWEET DREAMS! 2017” on 29th January. The monthly price is 900 yen a month but the first month of the subscription will be free.